Showing results by publisher "Herald Press" in All Categories

On any given night, more than half a million Americans and Canadians find themselves sleeping on the streets, in shelters, cars, and other places not meant for human habitation. Yet as this crisis continues to grow, it remains one of the least talked about—especially in churches. Kevin Nye introduces listeners to the Christ he’s met in tents, shelters, and drop-in centers. He demystifies homelessness by journeying into complex issues like affordable housing, mental illness, addiction, and more, while reimagining our theological approach to these matters.

The book of Revelation—which deals on a cosmic scale with good and evil, politics and empire, community and eternity—has intrigued and frustrated listeners since it was written. How do we make sense of John’s prophetic vision of cosmic war in light the nonviolence Jesus embodies in the gospels? What does it mean to tell us about Jesus, our world, and the future of all things? As End Times conspiracy theories surge, it’s more important than ever that we listen to the final book of the Bible without distorting the true message of Jesus.

Race is one of the hardest topics to discuss in America. Many White Christians avoid talking about it altogether. But a commitment to peacemaking requires White people to step out of their comfort and privilege and into the work of anti-racism. Dear White Peacemakers is an invitation to White Christians to come to the table and join this hard work and holy calling.

As the disillusioned leave the Church in droves and the deconstructing search for better answers to eternal questions continues, this book repositions Scripture in the life of the Church to allow it to be what it was meant to be all along: a source of life, hope, and freedom for all.

Your kids are spreading their wings. Are you ready? In Fledge, counselor, educator, and mother Brenda L. Yoder helps Christian parents navigate the many transitions of the launching years. How do you parent tweens at home and young adults away from home at the same time? What's a good balance between boundaries and freedom? How can you pray for your fledgling youth? And what do you do with all that mom grief?

Does Jesus’ call to love our enemies mean that we should remain silent in the face of injustice? Jesus called us to love our enemies. But to befriend an enemy, we first have to acknowledge their existence, understand who they are, and recognize the ways they are acting in opposition to God’s good news. In How to Have an Enemy: Righteous Anger and the Work of Peace, Melissa Florer-Bixler looks closely at what the Bible says about enemies - who they are, what they do, and how Jesus and his followers responded to them.

Who Will Be a Witness offers a vision for communities of faith to organize for deliverance and justice in their neighborhoods, states, and nation as an essential part of living out the call of Jesus. Drew G. I. Hart provides incisive insights into scripture and history, along with personal stories, to help us identify how the witness of the church has become mangled by Christendom, white supremacy, and religious nationalism. Hart provides a wide range of options for congregations seeking to give witness to Jesus’ ethic of love for and solidarity with the vulnerable.

We have become a society not only damaged by addiction, but fueled by it. In Addiction Nation, King investigates the ways that addiction robs us of freedom and holds us back from being fully human. Through stories, theology, philosophy, and cultural analysis, King examines today’s most common addictions and their destructive consequences. In stark yet intimate prose, he looks not only at the rise of opioid abuse but at policy, pain, virtue, and habit. He also unpacks research showing patterns of addiction to technology, stress, and even political partisanship.

In By the Way, pastor and author Derek Vreeland reframes everything we've been told about Christianity and what it means to follow Jesus. Discipleship isn't an add-on. Discipleship means joining God's joyful mission of reconciliation on earth, not just saving souls for the afterlife. Following Jesus is more like taking a long walk in the woods than sitting in a classroom. Living by the way takes practice-and that's the point.

Violent stories surround us. Brutal beginnings, horror-filled middles, despair-inducing endings. We need better stories: stories forged in the furnace of conflict, narratives that kindle compassion, and ignite hope. In I Am Not Your Enemy, writer Michael T. McRay visits divided regions of the world and interviews activists, peace builders, former combatants, and clergy members about their personal stories of conflict, justice, and reconciliation.

Tobias of the Amish presents an intimate look at the life of Tobias J. Stutzman, an ambitious Amish entrepreneur. From installing electric lights in his woodworking shop to questioning the church's refusal of cars, Tobe continually pushes the boundaries of his Amish faith community. But as Tobe's ideas for inventions come up against delays, his growing debt to fellow church members raises the stakes. Can the Amish church support Tobe's grandiose dreams? Follow the real-life journey of Tobias J. Stutzman from Amish communities in Oklahoma, through Kansas, and on to Iowa.

Every day we lose a little bit of something. So does the God of the resurrection have anything to say to our hurts? Was Christ’s resurrection a once-and-done thing, or is there hope for healing and restoration now? In Signs of Life, pastor and writer Stephanie Lobdell leads listeners into the grand story of God’s saving action and resurrection power. In candid and artful prose, Lobdell shares stories of her own depression, loss of confidence, and disillusionment with the church.

Emma Stutzman's Amish life was abruptly altered when she learned about her husband's sudden and tragic death. Now a single parent, Emma must figure out how to respond to the pressures of modernization and the pull of mainstream culture. Will she regain her strength as a woman after so much stress and tragedy in her married life? How will she lead her children to faith in the Amish Mennonite church without their father?

In a remote valley north of Kabul, in August 2010, American peacemaker Dan Terry and nine other aid workers were attacked and killed in an event that made worldwide headlines. Why would one man take his family, follow faith and calling into the political and religious maelstrom of Afghanistan, and through years of war and strife believe he could make a difference? In Making Friends among the Taliban, childhood friend Jonathan Larson retraces Dan's nearly 40 years in Afghanistan, and through interviews and eye-witness accounts, relays Dan's incredible way of daily living.

Ted Swartz and his Ted & Company TheaterWorks team are known for blending Bible stories with comedy and poignancy, and pushing the envelope on issues of faith and social justice. But who is Ted Swartz? Follow along in this engaging memoir as Swartz finds his way as a middle child in an eastern Pennsylvania traditional Mennonite home to his early work in the family butcher shop. Journey with Ted through the decision of uprooting his young family to attend seminary and then embracing life as a writer and actor.

Pastor Kevin Wiebe grew up below the poverty line, with his mother hunting for change in the couch to buy food for the baby. Wiebe now pastors a “low resource” church of mostly immigrants - a congregation that transcends definitions of the helper and the helped and that doesn’t fit neatly into any stereotype of poverty. In Faithful in Small Things, Wiebe shows listeners that writing big checks isn’t the only - or even the best - way to alleviate poverty.